


Brewed Awakening

by SimplyKorra



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Background Bees, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-08-20 06:23:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16550612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyKorra/pseuds/SimplyKorra
Summary: Weiss was a runaway who was trying to start over.Ruby was a waitress trying to forget her traumatic past.Yang was a restaurant owner trying to learn how to say no to her sister.And Blake just wanted to be left alone.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Long time no story!  
> I could go into a long and detailed description about why I haven't really written much in so long - but the truth is, it sucked and it's not worth talking about.   
> What IS worth talking about is this new fic I'm starting. It's my first real AU fic in this fandom and the first I've written in a long time.   
> It's 100% a White Rose fanfiction. The Bees are there but just in the background and supporting our girls.   
> The only real note to give here is that the girls are all older than they are in the show. With Ruby being 25 and the others being 27/28.   
> Enough from me, I hope you enjoy :)

Weiss Schnee had never been in a restaurant like this before. It was so… _small_ and had so many windows. In fact, none of the overhead lights were even turned on – the entire dining area was illuminated with natural light. While that was all well and good and did give the place a natural feel – all the windows meant that anyone and everyone walking by could stand there was _watch_ you eat.

There were people here of all different shapes and sizes and not one of them was dressed up for the occasion. Sure, it was just breakfast, but they were still out in public and she was pretty sure she saw a man in sweat pants and a shirt with fake abs on the front.

The setup was even stranger than the patrons. Instead of a maître d' at the front waiting to sit customers at a table – people were expected to seat _themselves._ It took Weiss nearly five minutes to realize no one was coming to direct her to a table and then another five minutes scouring the empty ones because she had no idea if they were clean or not.

There were menus already at the table, but those weren’t much help either because there were only four items on the _entire_ breakfast menu. There were three people working over a few stoves and fryers. One of them bouncing around to the music circulating throughout the restaurant as her thick, blonde ponytail swayed back and forth.

Weiss could only imagine how many customers ended up with hair in their food.

To say that she felt out of place would be a _massive_ understatement. Weiss knew she didn’t belong here. She noticed a few people glance her way and that those people probably knew exactly who she was. She simply hoped they didn’t care enough to confront her about it.

The sounds of this restaurant were scattered and constant. Varying conversations that Weiss could never hear enough of to understand and the constant movement and cooking in the kitchen. All coated with soft music playing on the speakers placed all over.

Slowly, she walked all the way to the back and found a spot in a corner between two windows. There were so many windows – people walking by could literally watch you eat, and Weiss could not understand why anyone would want that.

As she sat down in the big red booth, it made a noise underneath of her that was extremely unpleasant. Weiss looked around to see if anyone was staring. They weren’t, probably because all the booths made the exact same noise, and nobody thought she actually—

Her train of thought stopped as she glanced up at the counter. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to go up there to order or if someone would come and take it. Unfortunately, that might not matter as she was suddenly staring into the deep, golden eyes of a Faunus. She wasn’t wearing a uniform – not like the cooks or the few other people she’d seen back there.

This girl was wearing a black sweatshirt and had her Faunus ears standing straight up as she stared Weiss down. There was a laptop in front of her and a stack of books alongside them – much like a student would— and she was glaring in Weiss’ direction.

The thought of standing up and running as fast as she could out the door seemed suddenly appealing. She had merely wanted some coffee because she hadn’t been able to sleep on the awful motel bed the night before – but perhaps her father was right – there really was no place for her to go.

Weiss forced herself to break contact with the Faunus girl and instead stare at her hands or literally anything else. She had to focus on something because she _refused_ to cry in this restaurant in front of all these strangers who knew nothing about her.

Reaching into her bag, Weiss clutched at her scroll. Perhaps it would be better to text Winter and ask for help? She’d certainly offered it enough. But what good would she be if she couldn’t do this on her own? She’d just be going from one Schnee to the other and asking them to take care of her.

Still, it might be for the best. Perhaps she couldn’t do this. She didn’t know how to handle life on her own. She didn’t even know where to start.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps drawing closer to her and in that moment, she’d made the decision to leave. She wasn’t about to get into a fight with a Faunus she didn’t even know just because she was born with the wrong last name.

Grabbing her bag, she went to stand up, but a chirpy voice spoke before she could.

“Welcome to Brewed Awakening! What can I get you?”

Stopping, Weiss looked up and found a warm smile and a pair of silver eyes staring down at her. This girl was glowing with happiness – to the point Weiss couldn’t understand how anyone could be this excited to be up and working before nine in the morning.

She had dark, shoulder length hair with red tips. Her hair was a bit wild in some places, but somehow she made it look intentional. Speaking of shoulders, the uniform she was wearing showed off just how strong this girl was, and Weiss allowed her eyes to trail down to her firm biceps and defined forearms and –

The girl was giving her a strange look and Weiss realized she’d been staring far too long.

“Coffee…is…what I’ll have.” Weiss stammered, apparently unable to form a competent sentence.

Fortunately, the waitress laughed. “Then coffee is what you will be given.” She said with a wink and Weiss was starting to wish she’d just ran and saved herself from this utter humiliation. As if she didn’t have enough guilt and confusion going on in her life. “Do you want anything special done to it?”

Weiss came back to reality and looked up at the girl. She’d been thrown off all morning by the strangeness of this restaurant – she could only imagine what ‘special’ things they did to coffee here.

“Such as?” She asked with a leery tone.

This only made the girl’s smile grow and Weiss was starting to wonder if she was on one of those degenerate hidden camera shows because nobody was this kind. “Sugar, cream, milk – sometimes we even offer cinnamon to the cute customers.”

Weiss felt her face go hot but before she could even process the thought of being _flirted_ with, there was a groan from a distance behind them. She looked past her waitress to see the Faunus watching them with a scowl on her face.

When she looked back, the waitress’ cheeks suddenly matched the tips of her hair.

“We offer cinnamon to everyone.” The girl said quickly. “Not that you’re not cute – you are, but it’d be pretty crummy to not offer everything to all our customers. They can’t help it if they’re not cute.” 

A loud cough across the room made the girl finally stop speaking and Weiss was somehow even more charmed.

“A little sugar is fine.” She said and earned a nod.

As the girl turned away, she stopped and quickly spun back around. “My name is Ruby. If you need anything else.”

 _Ruby_.

"Weiss," she wasn't sure if she was supposed to introduce herself to a waitress. This felt like an introduction moment.

"Nice to meet you Weiss! One coffee comin' up!" 

Weiss nodded and watched her waitress walk away a bit faster than she arrived and then watched an exchange between Ruby and the Faunus girl. There were a lot of inaudibly sharp whispers and then a hearty laugh from the blonde at the stove before Ruby was given a good tousling.

It had been a long time, and Weiss was _never_ well suited in the matter – but she was certain she’d just been flirted with. That was the absolute last thing she’d considered when she ran away, the idea of dating anyone or even knowing anyone beyond a first name seemed impossible.

Not that one moment with a random waitress at a restaurant she’d never set foot in again mattered all that much. If anything, it was a nice confidence boost after a month or more of feeling like everyone hated her.

A buzzing at her side made her jump and Weiss turned to the offensive sound and saw her scroll lighting up from inside her bag. She pulled it out, knowing who it was because only one person had her new number. She tapped the screen and read her new message.

_How are you adjusting?_

Winter, as to the point as ever.

_I’m doing fine, just grabbing a bit of breakfast before my interview._

She put her scroll down on the table just as footsteps were approaching her once again. Looking up, those silver eyes were back on her and matched with a bright smile. Ruby held a very large cup of coffee in one hand – much larger than Weiss had ever imagined a cup could be – and a plate of bacon in the other.

Wait…

“I didn’t order that.” Weiss said as she pointed at the plate.

This only made Ruby smile more. “I know, but coffee alone for breakfast isn’t _breakfast_! You need some food too, so…bacon.”

Weiss pursed her lips, finding it hard to refuse. “I’m on a very tight budget at the moment.” She said this knowing full well that her designer clothes and brand-new scroll didn’t exactly scream poor.

Still, Ruby seemed unfazed. “It’s on the house! We cooked too much and we’re just gonna throw it away anyways so…I thought you might like it.”

She looked so annoyingly hopeful about this that Weiss couldn’t even muster the strength to tell this girl that she didn’t actually _like_ bacon.

No, in fact, Weiss was so suddenly weak that she picked up a piece and bit into it. “Thank you,” she said, feeling the salty, crunchy _meat_ settle on her tongue and fighting with all she had not to wince.

Weiss had been flirted with throughout her life. Every fancy ball and fundraiser her father ever held usually ended up with a slew of rich old men and their sons asking to dance with her or trying to drag her away from the hall for a private conversation.

Those days had trained Weiss in the ways of being cold and distant and unapproachable. They made it easy to be mean because that was the only way to make the unwanted advances stop.

Now though, she found herself completely disarmed.

"If you need anything else, just let me know!” Ruby said with a little bounce in her step as she walked away.

Weiss swallowed down the offending meat and took a sip of her coffee. It wasn’t very good, certainly not as good as her chef back home used to brew it, but she wasn’t about to complain

As she sat in her booth, she watched Ruby move throughout the restaurant from one table to another. This girl was the epitome of cheery. She smiled at everyone, made jokes and conversation. It didn’t matter how old or young a person was, she could find a way to make them smile along with her.

It was mesmerizing to watch and so different from anyone she’d been around before. Certainly, it could be assumed that Ruby was only being kind for tips, but nobody could pretend that well.

Besides, Ruby wouldn’t have to be this nice for tips with most people considering how beautiful she was.

_Stop it._

She took a much longer sip of her coffee and forced herself to look anywhere else but at the bubbly redhead.

 _Don’t get attached_.

That was the mantra her father had told her countless times. Don’t get attached to people or ideals because they always leave and they always change. Most importantly, they always want something from you and are always willing to hurt you if it means benefiting themselves.

It was funny to her that the man who gave her that advice was the same one who hurt her countless times.

"Refill?" Weiss jumped at the voice and looked up to see Ruby smiling down at her with a pot in hand.

Weiss looked down at her cup, nearly empty and remembered she had an interview to get to in twenty minutes.

Still, it was hard to say no to this cute stranger. “Sure.” She held up her cup and let Ruby refill it. “Do you serve lunch?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE AMAZING RESPONSE  
> Holy crap, I was not prepared for so many lovely comments and kudos and just...everything. Thank you. I'm still not 100% confident in my writing but the support means the world to me.

“What is that?” Yang asked as she looked up from the stove at Ruby – a few stray hairs dangling in her eyes.

Ruby sighed and held out the untouched plate of pasta. “He wants different noodles.”

Yang’s eyes narrowed. “Different noodles? What’s wrong with those noodles.”

“Apparently he’s allergic to these.”

“He’s allergic to noodles?”

“No, just fettucine noodles.”

Those narrow, lilac eyes went wide and Ruby swore they were turning red. “He’s allergic to a _shape_?!”

“So it would seem.” Ruby shrugged before sitting the plate down. “He won’t eat them and I didn’t know what else to do.”

Grumbling, Yang picked up the plate and moved it aside before grabbing another plate and setting it in its place. “I swear, I should have been a professional fighter like I said I was gonna when I was six. Can you go in the back and see if we have any other kind of noodle?”

With a smile in attempt to boost Yang’s mood, Ruby saluted before dashing to the back storage.

Storage was always her least favorite place to go. The light was broken and had been since Yang bought this building. Of course, Yang never wanted to fix it because to Yang, it added character – but Ruby always just assumed it was because Yang liked to send her employees back here by themselves to fetch things for her.

It wasn’t a particularly large room, but since it never saw light and all the air from the freezers wafted back here, it was always chilly.  

Ruby scoured the metal shelves filled with various cans and boxes filled with foods. She resisted the urge to grab a bag of chocolate chips and see how many she could fit into her mouth. That bag was only there for Yang to put chips into pancakes for little kids who came for breakfast.

When she did finally find the noodles, she was met with a dozen or so boxes and each one she saw was fettucine. After a bit of digging, she was able to come across one small box of tiny little macaroni elbows.

“Ha! Gotcha!” She said, throwing her arms in the air with her prize in hands.

 A sudden crash behind her made Ruby jump. She felt a scream rise in her throat but forced herself to hold it in.

_Never scream. Never show fear._

She covered her mouth as her heart raced and the box in her hand fell to the floor. Slowly, she turned towards the noise and she saw nothing, except a few unopened bottles of ketchup scattered on the floor. They must have fallen when she jumped.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she closed them and began begging herself to relax. She was okay. She was safe, and it was nothing. She wasn’t in that place anymore. She was here, working for her sister and everything was okay.

Throwing her head back, Ruby opened her eyes and quickly wiped away her unshed tears before picking up the box of noodles and scurrying over to pick up the fallen ketchup bottles. Thankfully they were plastic and didn’t shatter all over the floor.

Messy piles of red might have been too much for her to overcome.

As quick as she could, she sprinted out of the storage area and back into the kitchen.

“Here you go!” She said, voice a little too high pitched – even for her.

“Thanks…wait.” Yang called out as Ruby was walking away. “You okay?”

Damn Yang and her excellent perception. “I’m fine, some bottles fell in there. Scared me. It’s a scary place that dark storage area!” She smiled as brightly as she could, but Yang stopped what she was doing and walked over to her.

“You want to go home?”

Ruby let her smile relax a little – Yang’s overreacting always made her feel better. “No, I’m okay. It’s pretty busy and you might need help fighting weird noodle guy.”

This made her sister scoff. “As if, I’d snap him in half.”

“You haven’t even seen him!”

Yang shrugged as she poured the noodles into the boiling water. “Don’t need to. I’d snap _anybody_ in half.” Yang took another moment to look her sister up and down. “You sure you’re good?”

With a genuine smile, Ruby nodded again. “I promise.”

“Ruby! Your meet-cute is back!” _That_ voice came from Blake outside the kitchen and Ruby watched Yang’s eyes shift and could only shrug.

Walking through the double doors, Ruby saw Blake still perched on a stool at the counter working on…something. She then noticed Blake’s finger pointing out into the dining area and followed it to find that pretty girl Weiss from earlier sitting at the same booth with her head cast down as she tapped away on her scroll.

“Oh, uh…okay. I’ll go see if she’s hungry!” Ruby bounced on her heels before stepping around the counter and over to Weiss. However, the closer she got, she notices Weiss had red, puffy eyes and was sniffling as she sent her message. “You came back.” Ruby said cheerfully.

She studied Weiss, watched her jump at the sudden intrusion and forcefully wipe at her eyes before turning back with a bit of a broken smile. Her scar seemed sharper than it had been earlier today. Perhaps it was the shine of the tears making it stand out more. “I am.”

“I uh…” Ruby wanted to ask if everything was okay. If she were being honest, she wanted to sit down next to Weiss and hug her because seeing this girl sad was drawing out the strangest feelings of protectiveness she’d ever felt. Still, that wouldn’t be good company protocol to sit with a strange girl and hug her in the middle of a shift. Certainly, Blake would have some kind of comment about it if she did. “What can I get you?”

Weiss took a deep breath that seemed to relax her a little. “What do you suggest?” She asked with hopeful eyes.

Ruby felt it was now her mission to give this crying stranger the best lunch she’d ever had. “We make a really good turkey and avocado sandwich.” She added a wink because apparently Weiss made her do stupid things like wink for no reason and suggest sandwiches they weren’t scheduled to make for another hour.

“That does sound pretty good. Do you, by any chance, also have…milkshakes?”

Ruby’s heart grew three sizes that day. “We do! That’s my menu item! I make the shakes!”

“I could really use a big, chocolate shake today.”

“Then you will have one!” Ruby was suddenly bouncing on her feet as she wrote ‘GIANT SHAKE PRETTY GIRL’ on her notepad. “I’ll go put this order in and get your shake to you ASAP!”

Weiss smiled, and Ruby was fairly certain it was the most attractive thing she’d ever seen.

As she was rushing back to put the order in, Ruby kicked the stool Blake was sitting on by accident and stumbled into the kitchen where Yang was cooking.

“Okay,” she tore off a page of her notepad and sat it next to her sister. “I’ve got a chocolate shake to make!”

“Hang on,” Yang grabbed Ruby by a belt loop of her pants with one darn finger and was strong enough to stop Ruby in her tracks. “We don’t do sandwiches for another hour.” 

“I know, but Weiss looked really sad and asked me about lunch and she’s like…thin and seems to be a healthy eater cause her skin is all clear and her teeth are all perfect and I just figured ‘hey, she probably likes avocado’s and then I saw that she had pretty strong arms and figured she ate a lot of protein too and it just kinda hit me like a truck that you make the most _amazing_ turkey and avocado sandwiches and I just…wanted to make her happy cause she was sad and I…really need to start on her milkshake and I’m sorry.” Ruby finished, nearly out of breath as her sister just stared at her with the most blank, unreadable expression.

Finally, Yang pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “First of all, you’re killing me today, Rubes.”

“I know, I’m sorry again.” She really was!

“Second, who is Weiss?”

Ruby pointed towards the dining area that neither of them could see through the wall. “Pretty girl from this morning.”

“Right,” Yang rolled her eyes. “And you’re having me make her a meal that isn’t available on the menu yet and you’re going to make her a milkshake?”

“Yes,” Ruby nodded matter-of-factly.

“Is the princess paying for her meal or did you promise her it was free?”

Ruby glared. “She’s paying! Weiss wouldn’t take food for free.” She assumed anyway. Weiss had an honest face. Yes, that was it exactly. An honest and incredibly delicate and pretty face.

Yang was suddenly looking a Ruby like she was insane, but Ruby could just _tell_ that Weiss wasn’t that kind of person. “You know what, fine. You’re not heavy, you’re my sister.”

“Why do you always say that? What does it even mean?!”

She was quickly dismissed with a wave as Yang pulled out a loaf of bread.

Ruby didn’t much mind her question being ignored. She had a shake to make!

* * *

“I guess I just don’t get it.”

“I know you don’t get it.”

“I’m just saying, she’s _gay_. Why are you taking her out on a date if she’s gay?”

“Because she’s my friend.”

“But I’m your friend and we don’t go on dates!”

“Maybe that’s because you haven’t asked me on one.”

“Will you stop doing that!”

“I’m just saying, it’s only a date because she wants it to be a date. She hasn’t been on one in a long time, neither have I. We’re gonna go to a nice restaurant, have a good meal, have fun. Then we can go back to her place and watch movies until we pass out on the couch.”

“So, it’s a date without the fun parts?”

“You’ve never been on a date with a girl you actually like before have you?”

“Ruby,”

The sudden call of her name snapped Ruby out of the trance she’d been in. That trance, of course, being that she’d been sitting at the counter of the restaurant for the last thirty minutes just watching Weiss sip her coffee and stare out the window.

Looking up, she saw Neptune coming at her and tried to piece together the bits of Sun and his conversation that he was no doubt seeking her opinion on.

“I’m not Yang, don’t ask me about dating stuff.”

“I just want your opinion.” He sat down next to her, keeping enough distance because even though Yang was currently away from the restaurant, her aura in the building commanded enough respect that you just didn’t sit too close to her baby sister. “Sun is taking Ilia out on a date tonight.”

“So I heard,” Ruby glanced over Neptune at Sun. “I think it’s sweet that you’re doing that for her.”

Sun gave her a wink and a bright smile as he sat four drinks onto a tray and carried them to a waiting table.  

"You don’t think it’s a little pointless?”

Ruby forced herself to look away from Weiss and finally stare up at Neptune – blue hair and all. “Being kind to your friends is never pointless.”

He frowned. “Well now you’re making me feel shallow.”

“If the shoe fits.” Ruby shrugged as she stood up.

“Hey, these shoes cost a small fortune, they better fit!”

Ruby didn’t have time to respond because she was already making her way over to Weiss’ table. It felt different now. She was off the clock and in her street clothes and had no real obligation to talk to this girl. But she couldn’t help herself – Weiss just seemed so lost. She’d been here pretty much all day except for the few hours between breakfast and lunch and whatever happened then seemed to completely ruin her day.

A lot of feelings started to run through Ruby as she approached the table. Mostly doubt, fear, questioning every decision she’d ever made that led her to believe she had any right to approach a girl so pretty. It was easier when she was a waitress – there was an excuse to talk to said pretty girl. Now, she was just her regular awkward self.

“Doesn’t your butt hurt?”

Weiss jumped at the suddenly intruding voice and Ruby silently chided herself for such a ridiculous opening line. Only thankful that Blake and her Faunus hearing wasn’t around to listen in and mock her for it.

When Weiss turned to look at her, mystified in expression, Ruby scratched the back of her head with a nervous laugh. “I just meant…cause you’ve been sitting here a while.”

“Oh,” Weiss looked down at her scroll to check the time. “I suppose I have…I can leave.”

“No!” Ruby shouted, too loudly and Weiss coiled back a bit. “No,” she whispered this time. “You don’t have to leave, I was just wondering why you’ve been here all day.”

“Well, I had a job interview today – probably the single most important hour of my life and I completely blew it.”

“Aw come on, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad!” Ruby put on her best smile and threw her hands in the air – almost as if she could will Weiss into a better mood. Unfortunately, Weiss continued to frown. “It was that bad?”

“I was foolish to think I could do any of this on my own.” Watching Weiss put her head in her hands and exhale shakily nearly broke Ruby’s heart.

Despite feeling ridiculously underqualified to help this poor girl through whatever she was going through, Ruby found herself sitting down across from her.

“It’s hard, isn’t it?”

Weiss looked up at her and Ruby swore she’d never seen that color blue before. It was completely Weiss’ unique shade. “What?” Weiss asked softly.

“The real world – It’s hard. We think we can handle it because…we survived school and that was super traumatic and dramatic and kinda pointless a lot of the time despite what my dad said—“

“I was…tutored at home.”

“Oh.”

Weiss smiled a bit. “But I’ve watched a few television shows about the troubles of high school, so I understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Exactly!” Ruby said happily and took the time to enjoy watching Weiss’ smile grow.

“This is different though. This is…” Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t have a _job_ and I only have _one_ week’s worth of money left to pay for my hotel room and I don’t know what to do because if I go crawling back to _him_ I’ll never survive past—“

“You can work here!” Ruby wasn’t one-hundred percent sure _who_ said that. It _sounded_ like she did, but that couldn’t be right because she didn’t make those decisions and Yang would literally kill her for promising a job to someone without consulting her first.

Still, the words were clearly said because Weiss looked like someone who’d just been offered a job by a stranger who had no right to offer the job.

“I…what?”

“Sure!” Ruby decided to keep digging. “Neptune is about to get fired anyway!”

“I’m WHAT?!”

“Like you didn’t see that coming,” Sun added, thankfully and decided to pick up the argument on Ruby’s behalf.

This allowed her to refocus on Weiss. “I…live my life trying to help people and you look like someone who just needs a little help. The pay isn’t great, the hours aren’t great and you have to get up really early. But…we’re kind of a family here and if you want the job, I can convince my sister to give you one.” Then an idea came to Ruby and she threw her hands in the air. “I could _train_ you!”

There was a silence that lingered, but Weiss hadn’t said no and she hadn’t jumped out of the booth and ran away so Ruby counted that as some kind of small victory.

“It shouldn’t be this easy, right? Shouldn’t there be an interview or something.”

Ruby decided to appease her. “Okay. Interview time. Are you nice?”

Weiss’ eyes went wide and then she shrugged. “Not all the time.”

“Okay…but you’re _honest!_ ” Ruby was going to make this happen.

Thankfully, Weiss laughed. “You’re a very positive person.”

“Thank you! Question two, are you clean?”

This made Weiss sigh. “Painfully so.”

“Good! Clean is good in a restaurant cause people get really upset if you drop their food on the floor or accidentally break their eggs and it mixes with their hash browns even though it’s nearly impossible to carry five plates and not break one stupid egg but I told Yang—“

“Ruby?” Weiss interrupted softly and Ruby felt her cheeks grow hot.

“R—right…sorry.” She reached up to brush the hair out of her face. “Last question, can you start tomorrow?”

This one made Weiss laugh and it was a beautiful sound. “That’s an easy yes.”

Extending her hand across the table, Ruby smiled. “Then you’re hired!” Technically, she wasn’t, but Ruby was mostly certain she could convince Yang.

When Weiss accepted the handshake, Ruby swore her whole arm went numb. Weiss had _really_ soft hands.

“I—I don’t know what to say.” Weiss had tears in her eyes again, these ones seemed more welcome than before.

“We all need a little help sometimes.”

At some point, one of them was going to have to let go, but Ruby wasn’t going to be the first.

“Am I really fired?” Neptune said, suddenly right next to them.

That’s when Weiss let Ruby’s hand go. “Of course not!” Ruby said, waiving him off. “You know I can’t fire people.”

Neptune sighed and pumped his fist. “Good, good. You scared me for a second!” He shoved Ruby in the shoulder before going back behind the counter to continue doing absolutely nothing.

Glancing back to Weiss, she saw a little concern in those blue eyes that were suddenly her new favorite color.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “He’s totally fired.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kindness you've shown me so far with this story. It's been a lot of fun to write and it's a bit out of my element since it's AU and I tend to stick to canon stuff.   
> I can't say it'll be a particularly long story - but there's still plenty of good stuff to come.

If she closed her eyes, Weiss could easily pretend that this hotel room bathtub was the exact same one from her home back in Atlas. If she tried hard enough, she could ignore how tight fitting it was – how she couldn’t stretch her legs out. She could ignore the fact that the bathroom smelt more like lemon scented spray from a can than the lavender candles she’d light back home. She could pretend, just enough, that she wasn’t completely out of her element and just barely holding on.

Of course, her grip on this new life had strengthened quite a bit since this morning – thanks in large part to a waitress whose last name she didn’t even know. Even that felt shaky though, simply because Weiss had no idea how to trust such kindness.

Weiss hated the doubt – she hated the tiny little voices in the back of her head telling her that this was all some plot to get money out of her. That she’d show up at the restaurant tomorrow and be taken hostage or something else extremely outlandish and they’d demand money from her father.

She wanted to believe that Ruby really was as kind as she seemed to be – because Weiss really _really_ wanted her to be.

When a loud thumping noise started hammering above her, Weiss forced one eye to open and look up just to make sure the roof wasn’t caving in. This, unfortunately, brought her back to the small, dimly lit hotel bathroom and the reality of her situation.

There were noises everywhere in this place. It was constant and unpredictable and lasted throughout the night. She loathed it, it was hard to sleep or relax because the sounds would startle her. She’d lie in her bed at night and hear footsteps coming down the hall. They always passed, but the back of her mind could only register the idea of them stopping outside her door and coming into her room uninvited and…

“Ugh,” Weiss groaned before deciding to get out of the tub.

Grabbing a towel off the rack, that was still slightly damp from her shower this morning, Weiss wrapped it around herself and turned to the mirror.

Weiss was never a fan of dramatics. She never understood those big movie moments where a character would do something drastic to help themselves cope with a huge shift in their life. As if something as silly as cutting your hair would make a bad life decision feel worth it.

Then again, those people did always seem to feel better once they’d done something – and stories from movies had to come from something. Weiss just wanted to believe that she’d made the right choice to leave. That running away from her father and his money was what she was supposed to do. It had to be, that couldn’t have been her destiny – to rot away in that mansion all by herself.

Opening the cabinet behind the mirror, Weiss found a pair of scissors she’d seen the first day she arrived. They looked old, and she wondered if they’d even work properly, but she had to try. She needed her moment.

As she sat the scissors down on the edge of the sink, she looked at reflection before gathering her large mass of hair and laid it over her shoulder.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss picked up the scissors with a shaky hand and tried to relax herself. It was just hair. If she did this and hated it, it would grow back. It only took her about…twenty-seven years to grow it this long.

“What are you doing?” She asked herself before making the first cut with a wince. Much to her surprise (and horror) the scissors cut right through her hair and a handful of long strands cascaded to the floor. She gasped as she saw them fall, staring down in disbelief at what she’d just done. She’d _cut_ her hair – her father would be so upset with her. He’d yell at her and punish her, he’d…

_He’s not here_. She told herself. The same thing she’d been telling herself for days. That’s why she did this, that’s why she ran. Because he wasn’t here to control her, and she could do things like this. Anything she wanted.

So, she cut, again and again and again. The hair started to pile up more and more. Weiss just kept cutting. It felt as if weight was being lifted from her. Granted, she had a lot of hair, so it was actual weight she was losing, but the feeling was more than that. It was like shedding some kind of chain from around her neck.

Eventually, she made it all the way through. It was uneven and messy and completely unbefitting of a Schnee – which probably explained why Weiss loved it so much. Her hair now barely touched her shoulders. Though more her right shoulder than her left because, again, uneven. She felt lighter, literally, because she’d just cut off about five pounds of hair.

Suddenly, Weiss’ scroll started going off. It made her jump, and since Weiss was busy admiring her new hairstyle, she forgot about all the old hair still on the ground and nearly tripped over it and tumbled to her death.

Thankfully, she had years of fencing training and dance lessons and skating lessons and was able to find her balance again and prevent her scroll from falling off the sink in the process.

Though, as she saw that it was her big sister calling, she couldn’t help but wonder if death would have been easier.

Winter did not take well to rash decisions and if she saw what Weiss had just done she might just fly out on the next airship and drag Weiss back to the military base with her and stow her away in a footlocker for the rest of her life.

She could not answer, just ignore the call and tell Winter later that she was just busy. But busy doing what? She was in a small town, by herself, living in a hotel room with absolutely no free money to spend. Not to mention that if she didn’t answer Winter might just jump on the next airship and…

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Weiss answered the scroll and held it against the wall.

“Hello, Winter.” She said, loud enough that her sister could hear.

“Weiss…why is it so dark? Are you asleep?”

“No Winter, it’s four in the afternoon.”

“Then explain to me why all I’m seeing is darkness on my screen. I video called for a reason, I need to see you and make sure you’re okay.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Winter.”

“ _Weiss_.” A bit sharper now – the same tone Winter used to order her soldiers around. Reluctantly, Weiss drew the scroll away from the wall and turned it towards herself…sort of. “Weiss,” it was Winter’s turn to sigh. “I have no interest in seeing your sad cleavage. Show me your face.”

Now Weiss was considering just hanging up and to hell with her sister.

But she didn’t, because Winter was still her only support system and the only member of her family left that spoke to her.

So, she raised up the phone and watched as her sister’s usually stoic face went into a small state of shock. Eyebrows raised, mouth agape and nostrils flaring – this was more emotion from Winter Schnee than when their mother started throwing up at Weiss’ 10th birthday party.

“Were you…mugged?”

“Yes, Winter. I was mugged, and they stole my hair.”

Winter’s shocked expression returned to the familiar glare. “Schnee hair is worth more than 90% of that town you’re currently in.”

“I cut it, okay.” Weiss said, hating how petulant she sounded. “I wanted to make a change. Fresh start to go with a new job. 

“You got the job?” Winter asked, and Weiss suddenly remembered that she’d interviewed for another job earlier. One not at a diner and not given to her by a cute waitress whose last name she still didn’t know. “You must have really blown them away.”

Weiss hated lying.

“Must have.” She said with a straight face. “I start tomorrow.”

“Excellent,” Winter seemed so genuinely happy for her. Weiss hated lying, but it wasn’t a true lie – she did have a job to go to tomorrow. It just wasn’t the big fancy one Winter had set up for her. “Do you need any extra money? You might need some more dress clothes, I know you have a few that you brought with you but I could spare—“

“No,” Weiss cut her sister off hastily. “Thank you, sincerely, but I have enough to get me through for a while and eventually…I’ll be making enough money to get my own clothes.”

“And hopefully a new place to live, have you been looking into potential apartments at all?” Weiss winced just a little – but enough her sister noticed. “Weiss, you cannot live in a hotel forever. I know you enjoy the fresh towels and room service, but you wanted to set out on your own and that includes putting your own roof over your head.”

“I know, Winter.” She hated being lectured. “I’ll start looking.”

“Good, and run any potential finds by me first. I can help you sort out anything that might be fraudulent or unlivable.”

“I will.” She said as she started to remember that she was naked in her hotel bathroom. “I should probably go…get dressed.”

Winter smiled. “Very well. I just want you to know that I’m proud of you, little sister. You’re doing well.”

Guilt sucked. “Thank you. I love you, Winter.”

“I love you too, Weiss.”

Hanging up the phone, Weiss went to move and kicked the massive pile of hair she’d left lying on the floor. “Well, that was just a stream of questionable decisions, Weiss.”

* * *

The beret was a bad idea.

At the time, Weiss figured it would take attention away from her crooked haircut and that it might even make her look like someone who deserved a job they had zero qualifications for.

Instead, it just made her stand out, even more than she already did. In fact, she was starting to wonder if anyone in this town ever wore hats because she hadn’t seen a single hat on the street this morning.

Granted, not many people were walking the streets here at six in the morning, but was it so much to ask to see one other person dressed as fashionably as she was?

The weather here was made for a lot of the clothes Weiss wanted to wear. Back in Atlas it was all about fancy coats and scarves, but here…here she could pull out her sundresses and fancy berets. They were impractical clothes to bring with her when she was frantically packing her suitcase, but she liked them and hoped she could wear them one day when her life was better.

Maybe that was a selfish decision when there were more practical things for her to pack, but…she liked them.

As she moved toward the diner, Weiss caught sight of a woman outside working on a sign at the entrance. She was drawing something with chalk, pinks and greens and blues, but Weiss couldn’t see what it was.

Once she was close enough to see what was drawn, she was halted by a pair of cat ears standing straight up on the girl drawing.

“It’s not open yet.” This girl’s tone was annoyed and Weiss hadn’t even spoken yet.

“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“You didn’t,”

“Oh, right the…” Weiss pointed and then suddenly realized she was pointing at a Faunus’ ears and how wildly inappropriate that might be.

The Faunus stood up, her drawing finished, and Weiss saw a very cute drawing of an orange cat with a green fish in its mouth. “With those five-inch heels on I heard you turn the corner half a block away.” A pair of yellow eyes looked Weiss up and down. “A little overdressed, aren’t you?”

Weiss was not in the mood. “This from the girl wearing what looks like three layers when it’s nearly seventy degrees out.”

The girl crossed her arms, looking directly into Weiss’ eyes. “Ruby doesn’t make hiring decisions around here.”

Weiss felt her heart sink. “I…figured as much.” She said, wanting to seem unphased.

“ _Unfortunately_ , her sister does, and her sister has a hard time saying no to her.”

“Are you saying… 

The Faunus waved her off. “I’m not saying anything. I’m just saying that Yang is going to want to meet you. Get to know you. See how you’ve managed to put her sweet little baby sister under some kind of spell that makes her give jobs out to strangers.”

“I didn’t _do_ anything. I simply came in for a cup of coffee.”

“Then came back for lunch afterwards and kept Ruby’s attention all day.”

This was growing frustrating. “Do you not like me?”

“It’s not about you. It’s about them. They’re very good people and you…”

“What about me?” Weiss’ voice raised unexpectedly.

In return, the girl smirked. “I know who you are. Weiss Schnee – Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.”

Weiss felt alarm bells going off in her head, telling her to run.

Yet, something kept her feet steady. Something she couldn’t explain. “Ex-Heiress, actually.”

Those yellow eyes widened in surprise. “So, the tabloids are true? You…ran away from home?”

“Yes, though it sounds childish when you put it like that.”

“It’s not.” She said, her posture softening. “Assuming _all_ the tabloids are true then…it might even be a little bit commendable.”

Weiss despised tabloids. She couldn’t stand shady photographers who stalked her family and tried so desperately to expose all their secrets. They’d have a field day with her new haircut and current conversation with a Faunus.

“I’m just trying to start over.” She said, hoping this girl wouldn’t ask for an explanation.

Thankfully, she seemed satisfied. “Ruby and Yang are good for that. I’m not here to chase you away – just to warn you not to hurt them. They’re good ones and I will defend them if necessary. Without hesitation. I don’t care how much money your family has, it won’t protect you if you upset me.”

Weiss felt the urge to take a step back, but she was also compelled to stand her ground. Maybe that’s what this girl was looking for. “Any chance I could learn the name of the woman currently threatening my life?”

There was only a slight hesitation. “Blake.”

Blake didn’t smile, she didn’t extend her hand for Weiss to shake. She simply stood her ground and stated her name.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Blake.” Weiss tried to be the polite one.

Blake simply rolled her eyes. “No, it isn’t.”

"Blake!" Another voice suddenly intruded the worst conversation Weiss had had since she flipped off her father and ran away from home. The voice came from the blonde bombshell girl who was working behind the counter yesterday. She was a mass of hair and curves. Taller than either Blake or herself, this girl seemed like she was carved out of granite and put on display by the gods. She was gorgeous – but also very loud and a little whiny and…“did I leave my cute little yellow bra at your…oh.” She stopped talking when she noticed Weiss standing there. “Sorry,” she said with a bright smile. “I don’t know this one.”

Blake sighed. “First of all, I found your bra and brought it with me. It still has no more than four tears in it and you should throw it away immediately.”

“Absolutely not! It’s my lucky bra! Or…at least it was last night.” She boasted before nudging Weiss hard with her elbow, nearly knocking Weiss over.

Weiss couldn’t stop the scoff of disgust that escaped her. It was just a reflex and this girl was a little barbaric to be bringing up such things to a total stranger.

“Also,” Blake continued. “This is your sister’s new hire.”

Suddenly, lilac colored eyes widened and turned to Weiss. “So, _you’re_ the cute girl that’s gotten into my sister’s head.”

“I didn’t…” Weiss took a deep breath, not wanting to show just how out of her element she was with these two. “Your sister was very kind to me and said there was a job here. If she was mistaken, then I can just go. No hard feelings.”

Crossing her arms, the tall blonde looked her up and down then glanced over at Blake who was still as indifferent as ever. She then refocused on Weiss and softened her stance. “Do you need work?”

“She’s a runaway.” Blake said, surprising the both of them.

Those lilac eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, cut from the same cloth as this one.” She gestured to Blake who seemed to shrink into herself a little. “Look, if you sincerely need work and will work hard, I’ll give you a chance. It’s kinda what we do around here. Just know that this restaurant is my whole life. It is every dollar I have and every dollar me, and my extended family will have so if you work here, you have to be committed to working hard and if you piss me off or hurt my sister I will end your life and if you think I’m kidding then I dare you to test me.”

It took Weiss a minute to fully register everything that was just thrown at her. It was so sincere and then suddenly so threatening and every bit of it felt real which was somehow inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

“I—I will work hard.”

Suddenly, she smiled and it was as if the sun itself was shining brighter. “Great! I’m Yang by the way. Yang Xiao Long.” Yang extended her hand.

When Weiss shook it, she swore Yang was trying to rip her arm out of its socket. “Weiss Schnee.” She said, her whole body moving from the force of the handshake.

“Well it’s _Weiss_ to meet you.” She winked, and Weiss heard Blake groan. She was thankful for the groan because she was in no place to groan herself, but it was certainly needed given the terrible pun. “Come on.” Yang threw her arm around Weiss and practically dragged her into the restaurant. “Let’s go find you an apron. Ruby will be here soon, and we can’t disappoint her.”

Strangely enough, the very idea of seeing Ruby, a girl she’d met just one day earlier, made all of this effort feel worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby knew she had a big day today, a busy day. Her scroll had gone off four times already – no doubt Yang reminding her about Weiss.

She hadn’t forgotten. She was excited to work with Weiss today, but she’d woken up from a bad dream with a lingering bad thought that sapped away all her energy. These were the mornings where Ruby wondered if she’d ever be normal again. She’d think back to the days before her mind was riddled with these thoughts and maybe they weren’t as perfect she remembered, but compared to this they certainly felt like it.

It was annoying, if anything else – frustrating. It felt like something she should easily be able to escape. Waking up in the morning and feeling completely disconnected from herself. As if she wasn’t actually in her own body. Every movement felt fake and every thought seemed out of place. Her mind would wander to the emptiness of her life and how suddenly she might lose it. Death was the key factor in her grief. At some point, it had come to define her life.

The thoughts came and went, but they were around more often than she ever let anyone know. Yang knew better than most, but Ruby was good at putting on fake smiles to fool her sister. Sometimes she could pretend enough that she actually felt better.

It didn’t happen all the time. There were days, even week-long stretches where she would be okay. Her mind would be far too consumed with other things to have time to focus on any of the nasty stuff.

Then there were times when she’d be doing something that genuinely made her happy, and those whispers would return, like little reminders of the trauma in her life that shattered her barriers and made her feel isolated again.

She hated it. She wanted to enjoy her life, like she used to – not fear the unpredictable end of it.

When her scroll buzzed again, Ruby knew she couldn’t hide in her bedroom forever. Yang was kind not to force the issue before leaving to open the restaurant this morning, but if Ruby was late for her shift there would be trouble.

So, she forced her legs to move and swung them off the bed. She sat, the cool air hitting her skin and making her shiver. Fall was right around the corner. It was always her favorite time of year. She could wear her big red hoodie, and nobody would judge her.

Not that she cared much for their judgments – it was just nice when people left her alone.

When her scroll buzzed again, Ruby groaned into the empty room. Yang was relentless which was a good quality most of the time but sometimes it could be just plain annoying.

Picking up her scroll, she thumbed through the message, each one with more exclamation points than the one before it.

The last one simply read

_WEISS!!!_

She had to move. She had to force her day to start and stop letting her mind run rampant.

Ruby busied herself with mundane tasks, trying to occupy herself and hope that eventually she’d feel grounded and not so focused on how detached everything felt. It was hard some days, to forget all she’d seen. Her one-time therapist had told her that she’d have days like that – that her past might never let her fully move on.

Ruby only found solace in the knowledge that it would pass – it always passed. The only thing that sucked was that it always came back.

As Ruby picked out her clothes for the day, she found herself reaching into her sock drawer with a shaky hand. No, she wasn’t afraid of socks – she hadn’t been through any sort of sock related trauma. This was, however, where she hid away a tiny box filled with keepsakes from the life she’d had before.

Every time she went for socks, her hands always found their way to it. Most days, she’d just touch it and move on. Others, she’d open it up and let herself get lost in the memories. It would probably be simpler to just get rid of the stupid box or put it in a place she didn’t see every day. That would be simpler, but a part of her needed to see it every day – as a reminder of her promise that she wouldn’t forget.

Ruby’s room was the biggest in the house. That was part of Yang’s pitch to her, that it would be like a small apartment with its own bathroom. She appreciated so much that Yang let her stay here, but there were certainly times that Ruby hated how much she relied on her sister.

After Ruby came back from Vacuo, she had very little money to her name and with their father selling their childhood home and moving closer to his job in the Vale, Ruby worried she might just have to follow him and start over.

Then Yang swooped in with her master bedroom and constant reminders that she actually wanted Ruby around and saved the day like the magical big sister she was. It wasn’t the best situation, and often times Ruby felt like she wasn’t doing nearly enough to qualify as the full-grown adult she pretended to be, but she couldn’t imagine not having Yang around to help.

* * *

By the time Ruby made it to the restaurant, she felt better. Moving and getting out of the house always seemed to help. Work was good for her, she knew it because for the first few weeks after she came home she didn’t go _anywhere_. She spent every single day at home playing video games and watching movies she could barely focus on – anything to distract her.

So, Yang gave her a job, but told her she’d only keep her on for one year, enough time for Ruby to figure out what she was going to do next. Yang was always Ruby’s biggest supporter and told Ruby countless times that she had potential to do anything she wanted – waitressing was just to keep her busy and help her out of her rut.

That was eight months ago, and now Ruby had gone and hired a cute girl to work with her at a job she enjoyed, and she was hoping Yang had forgotten about her time limit.

The first thing Ruby saw was Weiss. She was wearing a very dainty outfit. A deep blue sundress with boots that climbed up to her knees and a cute little white hat sat atop her head. Her head, holy cats she’d cut off her hair! It looked so cute! Ruby seriously wished they were close enough friends that she could rush over and touch it because it looked so soft and pretty.

Instead, she had to be cool, like Yang always was with a pretty girl – except Blake who made Yang act like an even bigger idiot than Ruby. Still, she’d seen Yang do this before. Causal, unfazed and totally not thinking about how cute said girl in front of her was.  

“Are those the only shoes you have?” Ruby asked and startled Weiss who nearly knocked a napkin dispenser off the counter. For such a classy girl, she sure could be cute and clumsy sometimes.

Weiss looked down at her shoes with a frown. It was an expression she wore a lot. “These are the shoes I chose to wear today.”

Ruby smiled. “Okay well…they’re very cute.” Weiss looked up at her. “But they’re going to kill your feet by the time you’re done today. We walk a lot here, best to find a good pair of sneakers and keep your feet as comfy as possible.”

“I…don’t own any sneakers.”

That sounded about right. Poor Weiss really was out of her element. “Hmmm…well I’d loan you a pair of mine but I don’t think they’d fit you. You’re kinda…”

“Kind of what?” Weiss snapped back and Ruby put her hands up defensively.

“Petite?” She tried, and Weiss simply rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “Petite but strong. You look really strong!” To emphasize her point, Ruby reached out and squeezed Weiss’ bicep. It was shockingly firm.

Weiss seemed to recoil a bit, pulling her arm away and scowling. “Are you this handsy with all your new co-workers? Or is this like the cinnamon thing and only the cute ones get accosted?”

Ruby could only smile. “You’re cranky this morning.”

“I…” Weiss shook her head and her body relaxed. “I apologize. It’s just all a lot to take in. I thought it’d be a good idea to wear something nice and look my best. Like that would somehow make this all easier – but apparently I’ve made yet another mistake.”

“You look amazing.” Ruby said, suddenly wondering if she’d had some kind of stroke because there was no way she _actually_ said that, out loud, to the pretty girl.

Unfortunately, she clearly said it because Weiss looked away from her so fast Ruby thought she might fall over. This was why it was better if Ruby just stayed in bed on days like this, she couldn’t think straight and said stupid thing.

“Here you go,” Yang’s voice broke up their awkwardness and she came out with a customary Brewed Awakening apron – purple and yellow – along with a notepad and pen. “Ruby can show you the ropes with a few early customers. If people ask you what you recommend, stick to basics. Eggs, bacon, sandwiches, things like that. If a customer hits on you or does anything to make you feel uncomfortable, find Ruby, she’ll find me, and we’ll sort it out.”

Hopefully that wouldn’t happen today. Ruby remembered the one time a customer was too handsy with her. Patted her on the butt and asked her to unbutton more of her shirt and was just a generally awful person.

When she told Yang, the entire world seemed to stop. Everything Yang was doing took a backseat and suddenly her sister went from the bubbly chef to a flame haired war goddess who literally jumped over the counter and kicked the guy’s chair out from underneath him.

Once the initial shock wore off, he stood up in a fury and tried to punch Yang. She ducked his swing and hit him three times before he could blink and fell on his butt. She told him to leave, her voice as steady as ever. She begged him to come back and try her again. When he said he had friends, she laughed in his face. Yang had no fear and that guy had no chance. He left with a barrage of threats but they never saw him again.

So, yes, Ruby sincerely hoped that didn’t happen again.

While Weiss nodded along with everything Yang said, it was obvious she was getting lost in all this new information. Certainly, someone as beautiful and smart and…well dressed as Weiss hadn’t expected to be working at a restaurant in a small town like this. No, Ruby could only imagine her heading up some kind of big business meeting or running a huge company that sold weapons across Remnant, while she also secretly put on a costume and fought crime at night under a secret identity.

_Weiss would make an amazing super hero!_

Ruby could barely contain her excitement at the thought, but had to force herself back down to earth after Yang called out to her again.

“Ruby!” Yang raised her voice a bit and Ruby jumped and then saluted.

“Right! Sorry…what?”

Yang sighed with a soft smile. “Take her to the back so she can get ready.”

With a nod, Ruby turned back to Weiss who still looked like she might run at any second. “Come on, we have a spot you can wash up, put your apron on and get ready. It’s Wednesday, so it’ll probably be slow anyway.”

Ruby guided Weiss behind the counter, pointing out a few things like where to pick up the orders and to watch out because the counter sticks out further than you expect and can cause the _worst_ stubbed toes.

Weiss seemed a little overwhelmed with everything so Ruby tried not to put too much on her. Once they reached the locker room (it was really just a big bathroom but Yang called it a locker room anyway) Ruby stopped and pointed at the sink.

“You wash your hands here, try and do it as much as possible. Though you seem pretty clean so I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“I—I’m very clean.”

“I thought so!” Ruby laughed, unable to stop herself when Weiss was making such delightful and shy expressions. “Hey, you’re going to be fine. We’re not super strict here and Yang gets it, you’re new at this and adjusting and…if she gives you any trouble I’ll kick her butt!”

“Can you…actually kick her butt?”

“Not at all. She’s way too strong! But I can throw my body at her and give you time to run!”

This didn’t seem to appease her. “That doesn’t seem like a very sound plan.”

With a shrug, Ruby went over to a bench sitting along the wall, a bench Yang had put in here to give it more of a locker room vibe, and picked up the apron waiting for Weiss.

“We don’t do sound plans here,” she smiled as best she could. Ruby really liked Weiss – even if she couldn’t properly explain why, she wanted this to work. Perhaps it was sympathy, but Ruby didn’t doubt that Weiss would have landed on her feet one way or another, she just wanted to be a part of that. It also didn’t hurt that Weiss probably the prettiest girl Ruby had ever seen in real life. “We just kind of wing it.” She extended the apron to Weiss who accepted it hesitantly.

“These colors are…” their hands touched and an actual spark ilt between them. Okay, it was just static from the apron, but still it was a spark! Weiss quickly jerked the apron out of Ruby’s grip and pressed it against her chest. “Sorry,” she mumbled and Ruby laughed.

“It’s okay,” she spoke softly, trying to will Weiss to look at her again. Eventually those blue eyes found her and Ruby let herself get a little lost in them.

Unfortunately, she stared too long and suddenly they were glaring at her. “You’re staring at me.”

“Oh!” Ruby jumped, turning around quickly only to smash her shin into the bench behind her and squeal out in pain. “Holy cats! Ow, ow, ow!” Ruby clutched her leg as pain shot through it. She turned around and sat down, rocking back and forth trying to will the throbbing to go away.

“Are you okay?” Weiss was suddenly kneeling beside her, apron discarded on the floor and worry in her eyes. “You knew the bench was there, you dolt.” She didn’t speak with any malice, just concern and maybe a little bit of exasperation.

“I’m sorry…for staring.” The pain started to dull a little, but Ruby still held her wounded leg. “You’re just…really pretty. It’s hard not to.” Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to flirt, but Yang said she was a bad flirter and the injury was dulling the rest of her senses. Like self-preservation from extreme embarrassment. Plus, Weiss was so close to her and she smelled really good and that could have been having an effect on her too.

“Oh,” Weiss pulled away and Ruby remembered why she didn’t flirt in the first place. “Well that’s kind of you to say.” Weiss stood up and took a step back, stumbling over her apron on the floor but having far more grace than Ruby and steadying herself. “You’re cute as well. You’re…” she picked up her apron and again held it close to her. “Can I…have a moment to get ready? If you’re okay to stand?”

The pain in her leg was gone (though she was still holding it) but suddenly she felt even worse. She used to be good at this. She used to have friends of her own. Why was it so hard now for her to make any meaningful relationships outside of her sister and the people who tolerated her because they liked her sister?

_Because you’re broken_.

With a nod, Ruby stood up and tried her best to smile. “Of course. Take as much time as you need. I’ll find an easy table to start you out with.”

Weiss nodded but still wouldn’t really look at her. Ruby left wondering if she should have just stayed in bed like she wanted to in the first place.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay. Writing isn't as easy as it used to be for me lol. I still feel like I'm working out kinks and trying to get back to form with this fic so if it has issues, that's probably why. I'm relearning as I go lol.

“It just takes a little practice.”

The first thing you learned working at Brewed Awakening, was that Yang Xiao Long always held center stage. It wasn’t hard to understand why this place had been successful – it’s because everyone loved Yang.

Customers would ask for her, sending their well wishes and hoping she might step out of the kitchen to greet them. They would bring up stories of how she helped them move, or helped them out of some sort of dire situation and ‘saved their asses’. At first Weiss thought maybe Yang was just nosy, but at least five customers brought her up and each one seemed to beam brighter than the one before.

Of course, the love was not reserved only for customers – her staff adored her as well.

When Weiss’ shift was over, she was still wrestling with her inability to carry more than two drinks on a tray. She’d seen Ruby do at least five and even Blake helped move one from the kitchen to the counter with four  _ and _ a hot bowl of soup. Yet, the one time Weiss was met with a mere  _ three _ drinks all of her grace fell out the window.

That led to Weiss standing in the big bathroom that they all pretended was a locker room, watching Yang hold a tray with  _ six _ glasses on it.

“After a while, you get used to the shifting weight and can handle it easily.” To demonstrate, Yang lifted the tray up over her head and then back down, not shaking even a little. “Plus, you know, you don’t  _ have _ to carry all the drinks at once, you can make multiple trips.”

Weiss sighed, she wished it were that easy. “None of the other wait staff take multiple trips.”

“None of the other wait staff are on their first day.”

“I can do it, I just…I’ll practice.” She could do it, she could be a good, better, then everyone else. It’s what she was raised to do.

Yang didn’t seem to be satisfied with her response, but she also didn’t push and Weiss was thankful for that. Instead, Yang sat down the tray on one of the thin, wooden benches before taking a seat herself.

“So, what’s your story, Schnee?” Yang asked, without any sort of tact or build up whatsoever. It was as blunt as Weiss should have expected with her. “I looked you up on my scroll.”

Weiss couldn’t help but glare at her a little. “How kind of you.”

Yang simply shrugged. “You got into my little sister’s head, I had to see if you’d, you know, killed anyone.”

“I did not ‘get in’ her head. Why do you keep saying that?”

“Because you did, little miss Atlas’ most promising under twenty-five.”

Weiss wanted to jump out the nearest window. She remembered being ‘awarded’ that honor. The photoshoot and the article in Atlas Lifestyle Magazine. Not one bit of it was real. She didn’t win, her victory was bought and used as a ploy to help her father find suitors for her.  He had his hand on every part of that facade– even having someone create her answers to the questions she was asked. Telling them how she actually wasn’t interested in men and would much rather fall in love with a beautiful woman probably wouldn’t have sat too well with his desires to have her married and pregnant to continue furthering  _ his _ legacy.

“Ah yes, the worthless Heiress given an award and a magazine article by her father.”

That comment made those lilac eyes go wide in surprise. “Wow, not a very high opinion of yourself huh?”

Weiss could only shrug. “I’m simply stating the truth. The girl who finished in second behind me was using dust infusions to try and cure life threatening illnesses in children.”

“She seems pretty cool.”

“She was remarkable.”

There was a silence between the for a bit, Yang finally filled it. “And you?”

Taking a deep breath, Weiss stood up and picked up the tray Yang had sat down. She balanced it with one hand, trying desperately to hold it steady. “I am a work in progress.” She sighed. “With very sore feet.”

Yang laughed and stood up. “Working all day in shoes that don’t fit your feet will do that to you.” Noticing Yang’s extended hand, Weiss accepted it and was pulled to her feet. “You should get a pair tonight to save yourself tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to look or what to buy. I’ve never owned a pair of sneakers before.”

With pursed lips, Yang looked her once over before nodding. “Okay, I’ll go wrangle up my sister and we’ll take you to the mall and get you a pair.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Weiss was already feeling guilty for how much these people, who might as well still be strangers, had done for her.

However, Yang waved her off and made her way out of the room. “I know I don’t  _ have  _ to, Weiss. I wanna. Besides, it scares customers away if your feet start bleeding all over my nice floors.”

Weiss smiled despite the strange, overwhelming feeling in her chest.

* * *

Ruby was uncharacteristically quiet during their drive to the mall. She sat in the back seat, refusing to let Weiss sit back there, and hadn’t said anything since. Yang talked, because Weiss was slowly learning that that was just what Yang did.

Once they were there, Weiss was floored by the sheer mass of people. There was no order, no rhyme or reason behind anyone’s movements. Kids ran without care and laughed as they jumped on railings and chased each other in and out of stores.

Shopping in Atlas was never like this, at least not for her. Usually it was just she and her personal shopper. The stores were usually empty and the employees all bent over backwards to help with whatever she needed. Weiss wasn’t naïve, she knew that probably wasn’t what it was like for  _ every _ customer in Atlas, but she never imagined it were anything like this.

“Ah, here we go,” Yang said as she pointed out a store called the Sneak Shack. It was dark inside, the walls painted black and lined on every wall was hundreds of shoes. They were

As they made their way inside, Weiss chanced a look over at Ruby who seemed to be hugging herself just a bit as they stepped out of the chaotic walkways and into the much quieter store.

The first thing Weiss noticed was the smell. It was unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. The only thing she could compare it to was that time the tire flattened on her limo and she could smell the rubber as her driver changed it.

Weiss remembered that driver being fired the very next day.

“Okay,” Yang spoke up, drawing Weiss’ attention away from all the strange advertisements of overly attractive people wearing all of these shoes and little else. “What are you looking for?”

Frowning, Weiss shrugged. “I have no idea, Yang. Just…whatever Ruby has only smaller.”

This made Ruby laugh behind her, making Weiss jump and turn around only to see her covering her face and smiling behind her hand. She looked adorable. “We can’t have matching sneakers!”

“And why not?!” Weiss put her hands on her hips. “We already wear matching purple and yellow aprons.”

That made Ruby’s smile droop a bit as realization washed over her. “Huh…that’s a good point.”

“No, no. These aren’t just work shoes. If you’re walking to and from the restaurant you’ll need shoes to get you there. High heels each day can’t be good for you.” Yang glanced down at Weiss’ lower half and smirked. “I mean, your legs are nice.”

Weiss’ eyes went wide as she kicked her away. “Stop ogling me!”

Yang burst into laughter and took a step back. “Sorry, ice queen. I meant it as a compliment.”

“Yang,” Ruby cut in, thankfully. “I wanna go home and take a shower. Can we move this along?” Weiss couldn’t help but feel bad for making them do all this for her. She hated feeling helpless. She left home to try and rid herself of that feeling. “Sorry,” Ruby said, directed at Weiss with the softest of smiles. “It’s not you, today’s just been really long. I’m happy to help you pick something out. Besides, I think we lost her.” Ruby pointed over at Yang who was flirting with the cute girl at the cash register.

“Oh, I thought she and Blake were…”

“They are,” Ruby sighed. “But they’re not  _ exclusive _ . Whatever that means.” Ruby rolled her eyes. “They spend every day together. Blake is a that restaurant more than I am but Blake’s…careful.” Careful – which described how Ruby was being with every word she spoke. “Yang won’t actually do anything with anyone. She hasn’t cheated on Blake and as far as I know Blake hasn’t cheated on her either. But…Yang flirts. More often than not she flirts when Blake is right next to her. I guess she’s trying to make her jealous and get some kind of big movie confession of love.”

“That’s strange,” Weiss was thinking out loud at this point. “Yang seems like the type to  _ give _ the grand gesture, not receive it.”

“Right?!” Ruby laughed so heartily, it made Weiss smile. “Truth is that Yang is a big softie. She acts all tough and…well…she  _ is _ tough. She fights and she gets emotional and she yells, but deep down, she’s a big pile of mush and I think she just kinda wants to be taken care of a little, you know? She’s always taking care of everyone, especially me. That’s why I like Blake so much, Blake looks out for her and takes care of her. Even…even when I can’t.” Her voice softened and Weiss saw a familiar look in her eyes. It was one Weiss had seen in the mirror before. That feeling of not being good enough.

It was shocking to see that someone as good as Ruby could possibly feel that way. “So, I suppose this sneaker thing is up to us then?” Weiss was eager to try and lighten up the tone.

Thankfully, Ruby’s smile returned. “Here, I’ll show you the ones I like.” Weiss followed Ruby like an obedient puppy.

Weiss knew a thing or two about shoes but she’d never seen anything quite like this. They were just...out there for anyone to touch and try on. When Weiss bought shoes back in Atlas, they were special order to match her most updated fitting and arrived at her home in a sealed box.

Now she was expected to put on a shoe that had probably had dozens of feet in it already?

“What about these?” Ruby jumped just a bit to reach up and grab a pair on a high shelf. She pulled down a modest white pair of sneakers that didn’t look too overly atrocious. “They’re a little plain for my taste but it kinda seems like your thing.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes. “Are you saying I’m plain?”

“What?! No! Not that  _ your  _ plain, just that your clothes are!” Weiss tilted her head to the side, enjoying Ruby’s panic just a little. “Not plain! Plain is the wrong word! I meant elegant and fancy and nice. You’re so pretty, you make anything look cool! Don’t listen to me, look at my shoes!” At that, Ruby lifted her foot up and held it towards Weiss. “My shoes have rainbow soles! I wouldn’t know good fashion if it bit me in the nose!”

Reaching out, Weiss grabbed Ruby’s foot and held it, causing Ruby to do a cute little hop on her one foot still on the floor. “I like these ones.” Weiss said, admiring the rainbow color. She let Ruby’s foot go and watched her slowly bring it back down. “You know what, I’m going to let you pick me a pair and those are the ones I’ll go with.”

Ruby did not seem too thrilled with that idea. “That’s...a lot of pressure, Weiss.

“I didn’t realize sneakers were so important.”

“But they are!” Ruby threw her hands in the air for good measure. “Buying someone’s sneakers is like – we'll have to get married now!”

Weiss found herself laughing. “I trust you, Ruby. My feet belong to you.”

It took all of two seconds for Ruby to spot something “Oh! ” She squealed as she spotted a pair and quickly raced over to them “These ones! I love these ones! I’ve thought about getting them before!” She plucked them off their tiny little shelf and held them out to Weiss like they were some kind of adorable puppy in a window begging to be brought home. Okay, if it was a puppy Ruby would probably just take the thing home. Ruby seemed like the type who would go into the pet shop and try to adopt all the animals.

“You think these are good?” Weiss asked, still feeling confused and overwhelmed.

Ruby let out a breathy laugh. “They’re comfy, they’re not heavy and they look good. Plus…” she turned them over to show Weiss the blue soles. “They match your eyes.” She said and Weiss was suddenly very aware of the fact that Ruby was looking into her eyes. The same eyes she’d just compared to the ocean like some kind of damn romance novel character.

Weiss reached out and took the shoes to examine them closer – to do literally anything but get lost in the look Ruby was giving her. For someone who seemed so clumsy and a little bit naïve at times. Ruby had a way of stringing together sentences that made Weiss forget how to speak.

Weiss couldn’t pretend anymore that she wasn’t just a little bit smitten with this girl who would not have fit into her old world at all. A part of Weiss wondered if that’s where the attraction came from. The juvenile idea of bringing home a city girl her father would call poor and uncultured.

That might have been what it was, but the fact of the matter was that Weiss dreaded the idea of her father being anywhere near someone like Ruby. She was too good for him.

“They are lightweight.” Weiss said as she lifted them up and down a few times – struggling to refocus. “Can I try them on?”

“Of course!” Ruby smiled as she grabbed Weiss by the arm and dragged her over to a nearby stool. Weiss was suddenly grabbed by the arm and dragged towards a nearby stool. “Here,” Ruby gestured for Weiss to sit and she did.

Weiss placed the shoes on the ground and slipped her feet into them. They were comfy and soft on the inside, nothing like the shoes she’d usually wear. They felt so spacious, like her tiny little foot was lost inside of them. Her toes had so much room…probably too much. “I think they’re too big.” Ruby tested for herself and pressed down on them a toe. Weiss wiggled them a bit to help Ruby see that there was just too much space.  

“Nope, seem like a perfect fit.”

That couldn’t be right. “But…they’re not very tight. I can move my toes around and—“

“Weiss,” Ruby put her hands on Weiss’ knees, far too much contact for Weiss’ brain to handle a this moment. “They’re not supposed to squeeze the life out of your feet. They’re supposed to have a little wiggle room.”

Again, Weiss nodded, taking in so much new information. She couldn’t begin to imagine how much better her day would have gone wearing these. “I like them.”

“Yay!” Ruby threw her hands in the air to celebrate. She was so cute. “Now we’ll tie them up and make sure they’re still comfortable and then buy them!”

“Tie them?”

“Oh wow,” Ruby was fighting not to laugh and even covered her mouth. “You’ve never tied a pair of shoes before?”

Now Weiss didn’t find her as cute. “I’ve never had shoes that  _ needed _ to be tied before. Laces are not really a part of a Schnee wardrobe.”

Ruby raised her hands in surrender. “Fair enough, don’t worry. I can show you the bunny ears method!”

“B—bunny ears?”

“Yep!” Ruby sat down on the floor in front of Weiss and plucked up the laces of one of her shoes. “What you wanna do is fold each lace into a cute bunny ear, like this.” She was clearly moving slow so Weiss could keep up. “Then cross the ears so they make a little ‘X’ in the air. Then you loop the bottom bunny ear over and through the top bunny ear and pull them away from the shoe and there you go!” She was fortunate enough to look up just in time to see Weiss’ eyes light up again. “It’s like magic.”

Then a moment passed and Weiss felt herself softened a little. “Thank you, Ruby.”

“Of course. My mom taught me.”

Weiss pursed her lips again as Ruby absentmindedly started tying the other shoe. “That’s the kind of stuff moms are supposed to do, isn’t it?” Weiss tried to remember anything her mother teaching her being this intimate and sweet. She could only remember being taught how to properly stand for pictures or that stuttering was not something that would be tolerated during conversation. So many tiny little things that Weiss did wrong – the kinds of things that would make most people unique were only ever used as reminders of how flawed she was.

“All moms are different.” Ruby said, clearly understanding where Weiss was coming from.

“Yours and mine certainly are.” She couldn’t help but worry she was starting to sound a little pathetic. She had far too much baggage.

“Well, somebody did well with you because…I think you’re pretty neat.”

Just when Weiss thought she had Ruby figured out. Just when she thought Ruby would say the same kind of patronizing line anyone else would about how she was sure her mother tried or that maybe it was partially Weiss’ fault too, she instead said something that made Weiss’ face feel like it was on fire.

She was in big trouble.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait. Writing this has been more trouble than I thought it would be. AUs have never been my specialty lol.

Yang loved Saturday.

It didn’t take long after meeting her to understand that Saturday was, without question, Yang’s favorite day of the week.

The restaurant was always closed on Saturdays and didn’t open until after noon on Sunday. Of course, that was because when Yang first opened Brewed Awakening, she was still a bit of a party girl. Meaning her Saturday nights were usually filled with drinking and clubs and waking up in strange houses surrounded by strange people. It also meant that she spent the majority of Sunday morning trying to overcome her latest hangover.

Over the last few years, Yang calmed down and the parties slowed down. She still loved to party, but now they were held at her house with a few guests who usually played video games in her living room while she grilled random meats for everyone. Occasionally it would get out of hand, but that was rare.

Ruby couldn’t help but notice that Yang’s parties changed when she moved in. One of the benefits of living with Yang was that Yang was always so busy with stuff. Ruby had just assumed it would be a lot like living on her own because Yang would never be around. Of course, Yang did what Yang  _ always _ did, and shifted her life to make sure that Ruby had proper big sister time.

Even if Yang could be a little smothering sometimes, Ruby couldn’t deny that she loved how much her sister cared for her. When Ruby came back home, she didn’t really have anyone. All the friends she’d had in school had moved on (which wasn’t saying much because she only had two) and she wasn’t really up for trying to make new ones so Yang just inserted Ruby into her own group of friends.

Now, they both looked forward to Saturday when their friends would come over and hang out. It was something of a tradition. A tradition that no one would dare stand Yang up for because they all basically owed her big time and she was also a little bit scary and emotional.

By the time Ruby was dressed and ready for the day, she made her way downstairs to find Yang staring at the TV like it had just asked her to do advanced math. She was holding a controller from Ruby’s game system and slowly flicking the joystick up and down trying to find something.

Her tongue was sticking out, her head was tilted to the side and she kept alternating which foot she was putting her weight on so it made her sway back and forth.

Sensing her opportunity, Ruby quietly moved into the living room. She was good at being stealthy – not as good as Blake who was just naturally quiet as a cat, but good enough that she could work around Yang and her intense focus.

Carefully, Ruby climbed over the couch and snuck up right behind her big sister. Then, in a burst of speed, Ruby put her arms around Yang and threw her body backwards, throwing them both onto the couch.

Yang let out a ridiculous squeal and threw the controller in her hand across the room. They both landed with a thud and Ruby held on tight as Yang squirmed in her arms.

“Rubes!” Yang shouted, only to start freaking out when Ruby reached up and tousled her hair. “Ruby!” She turned suddenly, as if she remembered that she was much stronger than her little sister, and now hand both Ruby’s hands caught between one of her own and held them together. “Did you not hear me washing my hair at five o’clock this morning?” Yang was irritated, but in the kind of way that made Ruby want to reach up and mess with her hair some more.

“I did, because you can’t do anything quiet and woke me up with your blow drying.”

“We’re having people over today, do you want me to have to wear a hat because you ruined my hair?”

Ruby couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Ruin your hair? Yang, come on. You spend more time on your hair then you do slow cooking ham at the restaurant. Your hair looks like it came out of a magazine every single day. Besides,” Ruby tried to move but to no avail – Yang was too strong. She needed a new plan. “You need a little roughing up from me every now and then.” She shifted just enough to get her feet in between Yang’s legs. “Keeps you on your toes.” With that, Ruby pushed Yang’s legs out from under her and sent Yang barreling to the floor.

With Yang down, Ruby moved to escape the couch and any potential torments her sister might have planned for her.

Unfortunately, Yang was still stronger than her by a whole heck of a lot and as Ruby tried to leap off the couch, her foot was grabbed and she was held in place by one hand. She kicked and fought, even picked up a pillow and threw it right into Yang’s face, but to no avail. Instead, Yang pulled Ruby back down and picked up another pillow.

Immediately, Ruby put her hands up in surrender. “Yang, think about this.” She said in her most dramatic voice.

To her credit, Yang looked completely unfazed. “You started it.”

“I didn’t mean to tackle you! I slipped!”

“You slipped, wrapped your arms around me, and threw me backwards onto the couch by accident?”

“...yes.”

“And the hair?”

Ruby needed to think fast. “Oh, you know, just wanted to touch it. Soak up some of that amazing smell. What shampoo do you use? It’s magical!”

“I didn’t use shampoo today.”

“Oh.”

Yep, she was a goner.

Then, like a gift from the heavens (or at least from four blocks over), the front door opened with a soft knock and they both looked back as Blake came in.

Granted, Blake didn’t even bother to look up from the book she was reading, but she was here and that would hopefully be distraction enough to save Ruby’s butt from an upcoming big sister beat down.

When she looked to Yang again, she was relieved to see that Blake had her attention. Unfortunately, Yang didn’t need full focus to smash Ruby in the face with a pillow.

“Oof!” Ruby was smothered by the giant cushion before Yang pulled it back and gave her one more hit for good measure.

“Blake! You’re early!” Yang said as if she hadn’t just brutalized her baby sister and left her lying in a heap on the ground.

“I brought salmon with me. I figured if I wanted to eat my own food then I’d better get over here and start making it.”

“Aww, I’d have made it for you!”

Ruby knew Blake was doing that thing where she rolled her eyes and acted like she didn’t want to be pampered, but she secretly loved it because she’d never been taken care of before like Yang had taken care of her.

As someone who hadn’t been in a real relationship in years, Ruby lived vicariously through Yang and Blake’s…whatever it was they were doing.

So, as they continued to pretend like they weren’t flirting, Ruby pulled herself up onto the couch and finished setting up the games to play later.

* * *

More often than not, this was where Ruby found herself during Yang’s parties. Sitting on the couch, the last one left playing video games while everyone else was talking and laughing and hanging out together.

It wasn’t that Ruby didn’t want to do that, it was just that she was never very good at it. She didn’t like to drink, not after years of watching it ruin her uncle’s life. Beyond that, she didn’t really have a whole lot in common with most of Yang’s friends.

So, she stayed on the couch. It felt like the best spot to be. She could play games, which she loved, yet still be around everyone and feel like she was a part of the party so Yang wouldn’t make annoying comments about how anti-social she was.  

Even though Yang didn’t need to make those comments at all because Ruby knew how anti-social she was.

Everything around her was so loud. A jumbled mess of voices and stories that she only caught bits and pieces of. They all had to nearly scream at each other to talk over the music Yang had playing throughout the house.

Just as Ruby was about to collect the final few gems in this level and fly her little purple dragon onto the next stage, someone sat down next to her and made Ruby jump, nearly losing her grip on the controller.

Looking over, she saw Weiss sitting beside her looking… _ incredible _ . She had on a very clean and wrinkle free white top that was quite snug and a blue skirt to go with it. Her hair looked so nice and her makeup was perfect. All in all, she did not look like she had any idea what kind of party Yang threw.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Weiss said, looking around at all the chaos in the room with a bit of displeasure. “I was…contemplating whether or not to even show up.”

“They’re not always like this. Sometimes they just get a little crazy. I like it better when only a few people show up and it’s just a quiet, fun night with games.”

Weiss was still scanning the room, clearly not comfortable with all the noise and chaos. “Perhaps next time  _ you _ should plan the party and ensure it’s quiet and fun. Because this is…”

“Insane?” Ruby finished. Happy to not be the only miserable one. When Weiss looked at her and smiled, Ruby relaxed a little. “Yang’s gonna be upset in the morning. The house will be a mess and she’ll be hungover.” Naturally, that comment was followed by the sound of something breaking in the distance. Weiss’ eyes went wide in shock as Ruby winced. “We’re not normally like this. You just showed up on a particularly crazy night.”

Weiss waved her off and sighed. “It’s fine. I would have been uncomfortable regardless. All of this is new to me. Just being invited was unexpected.”

Ruby put her controller down and focused all of her attention on Weiss. It was too hard to focus on anything else with Weiss looking so pretty anyway.

Just as Ruby was about to ask Weiss if she wanted anything, the couch they were both sitting on was suddenly slammed into and slid across the floor. Weiss nearly fell off and Ruby reached out to catch her before standing up in a hurry to see Sun lying on the ground laughing as Neptune helped him to his feet.

“Could you two not break our furniture?” Ruby hated this tone. She didn’t like being cranky but this was a ridiculous.

Sun made it to his feet and winced when he saw what he’d done. He looked up at Ruby and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, Rubes. A few too many shots. We’ll take it outside!” He then quickly grabbed Neptune the head and dragged him away.

Turning back to Weiss, she saw the discomfort in her face and for some strange reason, Ruby found herself really upset at the idea that Weiss might leave. Though it was clear that Weiss didn’t want to be here, Ruby kind of liked having someone else around that was as detached from the party as she was.

She needed to do something to keep Weiss here.

“You want to go up to my room?” She asked and then her mind replayed what she’d just said. “I mean, because it’s quiet and we’ll be alone.” Weiss’ eyes went wide. “Not that I’m trying to get you alone! It’s just…I have…I’m not…”

“Ruby,” Weiss smiled and picked up her coat. “Lead the way.”

Reaching out, Ruby took Weiss’ hand and started to guide her through the chaos of the living room and towards the stairs leading to her bedroom. Looking back, she noticed the way Weiss was studying every picture on the wall that they passed. There was the softest of smiles on her face and Ruby decided to slow down just a bit to let Weiss take more of it in.

Once they reached Ruby’s bedroom, she remembered that it was pretty much a disaster. Given how Weiss dressed and acted and generally how clean and wonderful she smelled, it was probably not going to do Ruby any favors to show her this disaster.

Yet again, she’d let her mouth get ahead of her better judgement.

There was no going back now.

“Your home is lovely.” Weiss said as Ruby opened her bedroom door.

“Thanks. Yang and I do what we can and Blake s here a lot and helps out too. I uh…” Ruby sighed and moved out of Weiss’ way to show off her room. Clothes were all over the floor. The blankets were bundled up at the foot of her bed and there was an open bag of chips on the nightstand next to  _ two _ unfinished sodas. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to bring anyone up here.”

Weiss quirked a brow as she stepped inside. If she was phased by the mess she didn’t show it. “No? Nobody from these parties interests you enough to invite up?”

Ruby couldn’t stop herself from snorting as she laughed. It was just so ridiculous. “No,” She waved Weiss off and tried to pick up some of the clothes off the floor. “These are Yang’s friends. They’re nice to me and all but…none of them have ever looked at me like that.”

“What about you?” Weiss asked, as she folded up her jacket and put it down in on the edge of Ruby’s bed to sit on. “Have you looked at any of them like that?”

Ruby scoffed at the very notion. Unfortunately, she scoffed too quickly. “Of course not.”

“You have,” Weiss was far too smug. “Is it Sun. He’s always showing off his stomach and…I can’t say I blame him.”

The next time Ruby scoffed, she meant it. “Definitely not Sun. He’s…not my type.” Ruby wondered if there would ever be a time where coming out to someone wouldn’t bring her butterflies. Then again, not everyone was as pretty as Weiss. “I thought Ilia was cute when I first met her.”

Weiss’ eyes went wide with surprise, but she quickly recovered. “I see. So you  _ and  _ your sister are…?”

“Yang considers herself pansexual. Though lately I just think of her as Blake-sexual because that’s all she cares about. As for me, I’m just a tiny little lesbian.”

“I don’t think you’re as tiny as you think you are.”

“Compared to my sister I am.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Not everything has to be compared to your sister. Compared to me, you’re…quite impressive.”

Ruby creased her brow in confusion. Not sure where Weiss was going. “I don’t understand…”

“Your shoulders are…a lot of fun to look at.”

Heat rose up in Ruby’s neck and no doubt painted her face an embarrassing shade of red. “I—I just lift a lot of heavy boxes at the restaurant.” Weiss made some kind of humming sound, like she didn’t really believe that was the only thing that kept Ruby strong. “I played a lot of sports growing up.” She started as she sat down next to Weiss on the bed. The house beneath them still vibrating with the music blaring from the stereo. “Then when I joined the military, exercise only grew from there and now it’s just a part of my life.”

“You were in the military?” Weiss seemed genuinely surprised and maybe a little impressed.

Ruby nodded, wishing she could be as excited about it as Weiss was. “I enlisted after graduation. Much to the chagrin of my dad and my sister.”

“They weren’t proud of you?”

“They were, but they were also scared. After my mom died they both kinda go super protective over me.”

Weiss’ face did that thing everyone’s face did when Ruby brought up her dead mother. No matter how sneakily she tried to slip it into conversation. “Your mom…”

“A long time ago. It’s okay. Though it is fun how often people think I’m going to burst into tears every time I bring it up.”

This made Weiss laugh and Ruby marked that down as another win. Weiss had the most  _ incredible _ laugh and it was a little game Ruby played each day to try and make Weiss laugh any way she could.

Even if it meant joking about her dead mom.

“Wh—what about your family?” She asked with a bit of caution. Weiss hadn’t brought up anything about her family in the short time they’d known her. Ruby didn’t want to press but she also didn’t want this conversation to stop.

Weiss seemed to recoil a bit, but surprisingly answered. “They’re kind of terrible.”

Ruby frowned. “Oh.”

“Except my sister. She’s great, but she’s never around.”

“Tell me about her?”

She watched Weiss’ face light up a bit. “She’s actually in the military, like you were.” Ruby raised her brows with interest. “She’s stationed in Atlas. She’s a specialist. It’s a career for her.”

“Oh wow an Atleasian specialist?” Ruby couldn’t stop herself from clapping excitedly. “They’re so awesome! They have special combat training, weapons training and they can pilot pretty much anything!”

This time, Weiss’ smile didn’t have nearly as much joy in it. Ruby was fast realizing that family, even the good side of it, was a hard subject for Weiss. She needed to find a subject that didn’t bring up bad feelings and sad faces. She needed…

“Oh!” Ruby jumped off the bed, nearly causing Weiss to fall off as well. She then raced over to her closet and pulled out her pride and joy. The one thing in the whole world that kept her mind at bay and allowed her to just work and not think. The best thing she’d ever created. “I know this is super nerdy and you’ll probably think it’s silly, but I have to show it off because it’s the only thing I have to my name and…” as Ruby turned around Weiss was suddenly standing behind her and looking on intently. “Oh,” she wasn’t prepared for Weiss to be so close. “I uh…I made this.”

As she lifted her prized possession up to show off, she watched Weiss’ face take it in and contort from anticipation, to confusion, to that fake interested look Yang got when Blake talked about her new favorite book.

“It’s really cool!” Weiss said and Ruby could tell that Weiss had never used the world ‘cool’ before in her entire life.

“You have no idea what it is, do you?” She could hardly believe how adorable Weiss looked when she got caught in a little white lie. Her pale cheeks turned the most wonderful shade of red.

“Heavy?” Weiss said softly, lifting the thing up to prove her point.

Ruby found herself laughing. “It is that,” she reached out and too her prized possession from Weiss. “But what it  _ really _ is, is my weapon.”

Weiss’ blue eyes narrowed. “Your…weapon? Like your military weapon?”

“No, silly! It’s my cosplay weapon!”

“Ohhh…I’ve heard of that!” Weiss seemed genuinely proud of herself. “You cosplay?”

Ruby shrugged. “I try, I’m certainly not as good as a lot of people who make extremely elaborate costumes. I’m more about the weapons!”

Suddenly, Weiss’ face was lit up with genuine interest and Ruby felt her heart racing a little faster. “So, what weapon is this?” Weiss asked and Ruby reached out to take it from her. She had to show it off.

“It’s called Crescent Rose. It’s a weapon used by my favorite character in the show Beacon! Have you heard of it?”

Weiss shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t want much TV.”

“Ohhh, I’ll have to show you one day. I love it, Blake does too. We spend hours talking about our favorite episodes and fight scenes and ships.”

Then Weiss did that thing again. Where she smiled and Ruby felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest. “I’ll have to give it a shot.”

“So how about I sneak downstairs and get us some of the good stuff and we can have our own little party up here? I can show you what else this baby can do.” Ruby held Crescent Rose up proudly but watched as Weiss smiled dropped.

“I’m…not much a drinker, Ruby. I’m sorry.”

“Oh no, me either,” Ruby waved her off with a laugh. “I have a stash of cookies I baked yesterday hidden away in the kitchen!” 

This was Yang’s best party yet. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay. I'm just not as speedy of a writer as I used to be these days. But I thought this chapter came out pretty well so I hope you all do as well. Thank you for your patience :)

Thankfully, as soon as Weiss woke up, she remembered where she was. The hard bed, the thin covers and the multi-colored holiday lights draped along the wall that dimly lit the small room.

Ruby’s room.

They’d eaten delicious cookies and Ruby showed off some of her cosplay stuff. They talked for hours and it was the most comfortable Weiss had felt since she left home. Then again, she never felt comfortable a home so perhaps this was the most comfortable she’d felt her entire life.

Perhaps that was a bit dramatic, but Ruby was very easy to talk to – even if Weiss sometimes felt like she didn’t add much to the conversations.

Still, the plan was _not_ to fall asleep in Ruby’s bedroom, on Ruby’s bed with…

Rolling over slowly, Weiss saw Ruby lying next to her. Unlike Weiss, Ruby was on top of the blankets, and also unlike Weiss, she didn’t appear to have been sleeping.

Instead, Ruby was propped up on a couple pillows, holding her scroll and watching something with a pair of headphones in.

She must have been pretty engrossed because she didn’t seem to notice Weiss’ movements or the fact that Weiss was now watching her intently.

Ruby was incredibly pretty – not in the elegant way that was what so many people in Atlas considered beautiful.

No, Ruby was the kind of person you’d want to see every single morning when you woke up. The character from the novels Weiss would read who came from very little but somehow managed to change the world all the same. She was strong, with muscles in all the right places, but soft in her features. She was somehow graceful and clumsy – could talk a hundred miles a minute, then stop and focus every bit of attention she had on you.

As of right now, she was Weiss’ favorite person, simply because she seemed to want to spend time with Weiss when no one else really did.

The longer Weiss watched Ruby, the more she noticed. Including the fact that Ruby’s eyes were a little bit puffy and red – she’d been crying.

At first, Weiss just assumed it was whatever she was watching. Until she shifted enough to see what was on the screen and only saw a very up-close shot of noodles being cooked.

Unfortunately, her latest movement finally did grab Ruby’s attention and those silver eyes turned to her with surprise.

“Weiss!” She said a bit too loudly thanks to her headphones before taking them out. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t,” Weiss said, leaning up on her elbow a bit as Ruby’s scroll turned off and darkened the room a little bit more. She wanted to ask, a part of her felt like she _needed_ to ask. That was something friends did, right? She wanted to be Ruby’s friend. Shouldn’t she want to know what made her friend cry in the middle of the night. “What are you watching?” She asked instead, too afraid to push.

Ruby shrugged lightly and rolled onto her side to face Weiss. “I watch cooking shows at night when I can’t sleep. Well…kinda cooking shows. Mostly it’s _just_ cooking but with no music or voices or anything. I like the sounds of cooking. It…relaxes me, in a weird kind of way. Helps with my anxiety.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever heard of cooking sounds for anxiety.” Weiss said, enjoying Ruby’s small smile.

“It’s much cheaper than therapy, though…I probably could use a little of that too.”

It was too hard not to try, the room was just dark enough to give Weiss a little boost of courage. “Are you…okay?”

Weiss noted the way Ruby curled into herself just a bit at the question. She was ready to retract it when Ruby spoke.

“I kind of…hate sleeping.” She said with a pained laugh. “Nights aren’t my favorite and dark isn’t either. That’s why I have all the holiday lights around the room. Still, mostly I just lay awake on my scroll until I pass out.”

“That doesn’t seem very healthy.”

Ruby laughed a little louder this time. “I’m sure it isn’t.” Weiss wasn’t really sure what she was doing, but suddenly her hand was moving and touching a few strands of hair that had fallen over Ruby’s eyes. She tucked them away gently where they belonged. Ruby didn’t say anything, didn’t pull away, just laid there next to a girl she hardly knew and smiled.

Never before in her life had Weiss felt this. She just wanted to stay here. Forget the world, forget her family troubles and all the awful nights spent alone in her room wishing she was someone else.

She’d relive it all again to bring her back here to this moment. Because something about Ruby made everything feel okay.

“You’re beautiful.” Weiss said, not really meaning to say it out loud but not at all regretting it. Ruby deserved to hear it.

Fortunately, Ruby’s response was quick and shy and only made her harder to resist.

Weiss, with her fingers still resting along Ruby’s hairline, gently cupped Ruby’s cheek in her hand and stroked her thumb gently over Ruby’s brow. She’d never done anything like this before. Never been this close to another person and touched them so intimately.

Even if she’d only known Ruby a short time, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like they were connected, in a way she couldn’t entirely explain and could quite possibly be romanticizing based on her lack of experience.

What made it even worse was that Ruby didn’t pull away. Instead, Ruby closed her eyes and seemed to enjoy Weiss’ presence.

Carefully, Weiss scooted a bit closer to Ruby, shortening the reach between them. She pressed their foreheads together and smiled when Ruby nestled up against her just a bit.

All she really wanted to do now, was help Ruby fall asleep. She would stay like this for as long as it took.

However, just as she thought she might be making progress, Weiss felt something wet touch the pad of her thumb. Looking closer, she saw that Ruby was crying again and her heart broke.

She wasn’t sure what had happened to this poor girl, but clearly it had taken something precious from her.

“Shhh,” Weiss said, not about to stop what she was doing. Perhaps she didn’t have the course to ask for specifics on what hurt her so much, but she could be here like this. She could spend the rest of her night fighting away Ruby’s demons.

Ruby cried for a while. Never sobbing out loud or saying a word. Just a gentle flow of tears that Weiss dabbed away. Eventually, her breathing evened out and she drifted to sleep.

By the time Weiss fell asleep, they were as close as they could be with the blankets between them, and Weiss was fairly certain she’d wake up in the morning and all this would simply be a dream.

* * *

Ruby was still asleep by the time Weiss woke up. She took that as a victory of sorts given Ruby’s struggles and even though Weiss hadn’t intended to do... _that_ to help Ruby find slumber, she was happy to help.

Even if the memory of last night was still burning a hole in her brain and threatening to consume her thoughts for the rest of her life.

Never had Weiss been so close with someone like that before. She’d never done anything like that before. The way she felt wasn’t something she ever thought would happen to her. She’d only read about it in stories. She could still feel Ruby’s cheek in her hand and the way their foreheads felt pressed together.

If Weiss were magical, she’d have frozen time and stayed like that with Ruby indefinitely.

Unfortunately, the sun rose and the day started and when Weiss woke up she heard noises coming from downstairs and knew she didn’t want Yang to catch her lying in bed with her baby sister. So she quietly slipped out of Ruby’s bed and left her to sleep.

For a while, Weiss debated waking Ruby up to tell her she was leaving. She didn’t want to just abandon her, not after last night - but knowing how much Ruby struggled to sleep, it felt criminal to wake her.

Instead, Weiss opted to simply leave a note on the nightstand with a promise to see her soon.

She wasn’t sure what that meant exactly - they did work together, but she didn’t want to count work as the only time she’d see Ruby again.

Not that she cared. Not that she needed anyone. She was Weiss Schnee - as cold as ice and perfectly fine being on her own. That’s what she told herself over and over again as she stepped out of Ruby’s room and forced herself not to jump back into the bed and cuddle some more.

Once she made it back downstairs, Weiss took in the damage that had been done to Yang and Ruby’s home. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been or as she expected it would be before Ruby whisked her away upstairs. There were plates of half eaten food and beer cans scattered everywhere. Not one, but two of the dining room chairs had been tipped over.

Weiss was surprised not to find a gaggle of people sleeping all over the floor. Given how drunk everyone was last night, they most certainly shouldn’t have been driving home.

In fact, the only person Weiss found still here was Blake. She was sleeping on the couch (which had been folded out into a bed because apparently couches did that?) and given the current positioning of her blanket, Weiss could see far too much skin and quickly assessed that Blake was naked.

“Weiss?” The call of her name made Weiss jump and she turned in a hurry to find Yang standing behind her. Yang’s hair was a disaster. Like an unkempt lion mane, it stuck out in every direction atop her head. She was wearing a yellow tank top and though Weiss hadn’t given her a proper once over, she was fairly certain Yang wasn’t wearing any pants. “What are you doing here? Did you just get here?”

Weiss opened her mouth to tell the truth, because honestly was always the best policy, but then quickly realized that Yang had no idea she’d been here and therefore would never learn that Weiss had actually spent the night in Yang’s baby sister’s bedroom.

“I-I...yes.” She said, matter-of-factly. She’d always been a good liar. “I came by to apologize for not coming last night.”

Yang nodded, she barely seemed awake as she blinked slowly and sipped her coffee. “It’s okay, the whole thing kinda got out of hand anyway. I started drinking too early and Blake was...really wound up and…”

“That’s okay,” Weiss waved her off. “I don’t need a play by play.”

Yang laughed sharply and then winced and clutched her head. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“I’ll do my best.”

For a moment, Yang just stood there, holding her coffee and blinking. Then suddenly, she blinked and her eyes stayed closed.

Weiss watched for a moment, waiting for Yang’s eyes to open. She was still standing upright, swaying slightly back and forth - she still had a tight grip on her mug. For a good thirty seconds, Weiss waited for Yang’s eyes to open. She waited and watched and nothing happened. Carefully, she reached out and poked Yang in the shoulder.

Suddenly, those lilac eyes burst open and Yang nearly fell over. “Weiss!” Yang whispered loudly as she clutched her head again.

“You should probably go lie back down.”

Yang shook her head. “No, I have to make up last night to Ruby. I know she probably had a horrible time and it was selfish of me to ignore her all night. I need to make pancakes and…” Yang stopped abruptly and hesitated for a moment. Weiss saw her eyes go wide and then close tightly shut. She took a step back and sat her mug down before racing over to the kitchen sink and throwing up.

Weiss sighed and moved over to where Yang was currently throwing up. She reached out and grabbed Yang’s hair, only to be swatted away weakly. Undeterred, Weiss grabbed for it again and this time, she batted at Yang’s hands when they came at her.

“Do you want me to hold your hair for ten seconds, or do you want to throw up on it and have to spend your whole day hungover and washing that cute pink vomit of yours out of it?”

Whether it be fatigue, or a shred of common sense, Yang relented and threw up one more time, this one not nearly as bad as the one before it.

All the while, Weiss held her hair and couldn’t help but be impressed at how damn soft it was. Of course it always looked perfect, but she couldn’t imagine the work Yang put in, every single day, to keep her hair like this. It was genuinely impressive, and probably a little bit obsessive.

When Yang finally finished, she stepped back and Weiss carefully let go of the mass of blonde locks. Yang swallowed thickly and grimaced as whatever was left over went back down her throat. She then pulled out a chair at the dining room table, one of the four that wasn’t flipped over, and sat down.

“Weiss,” Yang spoke slowly, as if she might throw up again at any moment. “Do you know how to make pancakes?” Instead of answering, Weiss just stared Yang down silently. Yang had to know the answer to that question. “Right...well are you a fast learner?”

“I can make pancakes.” They both looked over to find Blake now leaning over the back of the couch. She had a blanket wrapped around her but she was still very clearly naked. Her bare shoulders on display for the world to see. She didn’t look nearly as rough as Yang did, a soft smile on her face as she took on the sight of the blonde at the kitchen table. “You’re a mess.”

“Shush,” Yang said softly, still clutching her head. “It’s your fault. Coming over here with that barely there shirt on and those pants. I didn’t stand a chance.”

Blake laughed. “Next time I’ll show up to your party with a very heavy sweater on.”

“No you won’t.” Yang said with a weak smile. “Hey Weiss,” Blake called to her and when Weiss looked over Blake had a very mischievous look on her face. “Why don’t you go upstairs and check on Ruby. Let her know about breakfast.”  

Weiss felt her stomach sink to the floor. Blake knew. Weiss wasn’t sure how in the world Blake knew, but she did. She knew that Weiss had been here last night - maybe Sun told her. If he did, Weiss would kill him. Regardless, Blake knew and Yang didn’t know and Weiss was kinda scared of what Yang might do if she found out Weiss had shared a bedroom with her baby sister.

“Okay…” she said slowly. “I’ll...go check on Ruby.”

“Tell her I’m sorry the party got out of hand!” Yang said, raising her voice and only adding to her own suffering. “Oh and ask her if she wants chocolate milk! I can probably do that...probably. Ugh.”

Weiss rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to send a glare back at Blake who seemed to be enjoying this suffering far too much as she climbed off the couch, still basically naked and headed towards the kitchen.

Suddenly, Weiss was once again standing outside Ruby’s door and the room she’d spent one of the most intimate nights of her life in.

She reached up to knock but thought better of it. She knew the door was unlocked and knew Ruby was probably asleep still. If she were being honest, she didn’t really _want_ to wake Ruby up. Weiss knew just how hard it was for Ruby to even fall asleep last night. The problem was that Yang didn’t know that Weiss knew Ruby hadn’t slept. According to Yang, Weiss had _just_ shown up.

So she had to pretend, at least standing outside this door, that Ruby was still just some cute girl she worked with and not someone she’d cradled in her arms in the late hours of the night.  

The memory alone was enough to make Weiss’ heart race. She’d never felt so close to another person before - so protective.

Instead of knocking, Weiss opened the door slowly and peeked inside.

However, instead of seeing Ruby on the bed like she expected, she found Ruby already up and moving around.

In fact, Ruby had her back to the door and was changing out of her pajamas. Right in front of Weiss was the defined back muscles of Ruby Rose. This girl who seemed so small and cute somehow had the body of a long trained athlete. Sure, Weiss knew Ruby had been in the military, but being away clearly hadn’t taken from her training.

As much as she wanted to turn invisible and stand here watching Ruby change for the rest of her life (which would end even faster if Ruby happened to turn around) Weiss couldn’t help but stare not at the muscles, but at a jagged and penetrating scar on Ruby’s left shoulder. Weiss was no expert, but if she had to guess, she’d say it was a bullet hole.

The thought of Ruby being hurt like that made Weiss irrationally angry.

Stepping back, Weiss shut the door enough to hide herself and knocked. The sound made Ruby squeal and a moment later there was a thud and a lot of heavy rustling. A few moments later, the door opened and Ruby was there with a shirt on.

“Weiss?” She asked, leaning out the door just a bit to see if anyone else was around. “I--I thought you left?”

Weiss sighed. “I tried, but your sister was awake and saw me in your house so I _panicked_ and just told her I’d arrived this morning and then she sent me up here to check on you because she feels guilty about the party being too rowdy and I think Blake knows I stayed here last night because Blake somehow seems to know _everything_. I think she hates me because she wouldn’t let me leave either and I just…”

“Weiss,” Ruby cut her off with a soft laugh. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

Somehow, Ruby made all of Weiss’ worries melt away. It was a little scary, how much her guard came down around this girl. “Me too.”

“So...breakfast?” Ruby asked, stepping out into the hall and closing her bedroom door behind her. Weiss couldn’t help but wish they were back there again. In the dark, locked away from the rest of the world. Feeling more alive than she had in years. “Eat with me?”

“Of course,” Weiss answered, far too quickly. “I did just get here after all.”

 Ruby laughed again. What a fantastic day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> What'd you think?


End file.
